158 STERNA NIGRA. 



about the Irtish.* With the former, it inhabits the 

 shores of England during tin- summer, where it breeds 

 and migrates, as it does nere, to the .south, as the cold 

 of autumn approaches. 



This species is nine and a half inches long, and twenty 

 inches in extent; bill, bright reddish yellow; nostril, 

 pervious; lower mandible, angular; front, white, 

 reaching in two narrow points over the eye ; crown, 

 band through the eye and hindhead, black, tapering to 

 a point as it descends ; cheeks, sides of the neck and 

 whole lower parts, of the most rich and glossy white, 

 like the brightest satin ; upper parts of the back and 

 wings, a pale glossy ash or light lead colour ; the outer 

 edges of the three exterior primaries, black, their inner 

 edges, white ; tail, pale ash, but darker than the back, 

 and forked, the two outer feathers an inch longer, 

 tapering to a point; legs and feet, reddish yellow; 

 webbed feet, claws, and hind toe, exactly formed like 

 those of the preceding. The female nearly resembles 

 the male, with the exception of having the two exterior 

 tail-feathers shorter. 



250. STERNA KICRAj LINNAEUS. STERXA PLUXBEJ, WILSON. 



SHORT-TAILED TERX. 

 WILSON, PLATE IX. FIG. III. 



A specimen of this bird was first sent me by Mr 

 Beasley of Cape May ; but being 1 in an imperfect state, 

 I could form no correct notion of the species, sometimes 

 supposing it might be a young bird of the preceding 

 tern. Since that time, however, I have had an oppor- 

 tunity of procuring a considerable number of this same 

 kind, corresponding almost exactly with each other. 



On the 6th of September, 1812, after a violent north- 

 east storm, which inundated the meadows of Srhuylkili 

 in many places, numerous flocks of this tern all at 



* PENNANT. 



